"We continue to advance and extend our VoIP offerings to meet customer needs where it matters most — at the heart of their business operations," said Tom Roche, vice president for network voice and data services for Verizon Business. "IP Tollfree and IP IVR will help redefine how companies implement contact centers in the future. As businesses increasingly make the move to IP, Verizon Business continues to outpace the industry, delivering one of the most complete suites of VoIP services available today."

IP Tollfree

Verizon IP Tollfree routes incoming toll-free calls over IP to enable greater efficiency and support multiple-contact media, such as phone calls, e-mail or instant messaging from around the globe. The service enables contact center agents to transfer calls using capabilities inherent to the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), an important standard for setting up calls and other types of real-time communication on the Internet. Since IP Tollfree is a network-based service, companies benefit from lower total cost of ownership because they do not have to own and operate costly gateway equipment.

IP IVR

Verizon IP IVR provides call processing in a pure IP environment over a carrier-grade, global network infrastructure, enabling customers to benefit from network efficiencies such as voice compression and dynamic bandwidth allocation. The service offers administrators an extensive selection of call-routing and processing features and terminates incoming calls to both Time Division Multiplexer (TDM) and IP endpoints, allowing customers to adopt IP technology at their own pace.

Working with Avaya Inc., a global leader in business communications applications, systems and services, Verizon Business has designed and certified IP Tollfree and IP IVR to be compatible with Avaya Communication Manager with SIP enablement services (SES) 3.1 software and other leading SIP-enabled endpoints. Avaya Communication Manager with SES is also certified for IP Trunking. As a result, Verizon Business customers can leverage the VoIP portfolio to address both their inbound and outbound calling needs.

"Our research shows that there is a huge pent up demand for SIP-based call delivery, and Verizon Business is meeting that demand," said Robin Goad, lead analyst, contact centers, Datamonitor. "Businesses can improve customer service by working with suppliers that offer robust but simple-to-use-service offerings and whose portfolios reflect a clear IP strategy."

More Flexibility with IP Trunking

Verizon Business' IP Trunking delivers VoIP access and essential telephony features to locations with as few as 200 and as many as 1,000 or more end-users. It enables companies that have already invested in Avaya IP phones to now connect on a single, converged access line for both internal and external traffic. Companies can control costs because they no longer need to purchase and maintain additional TDM enterprise gateway equipment and can take advantage of network efficiencies inherent in converged access.

Companies also get the benefit of VoIP without having to retrain employees on calling features and functions, and without having to replace equipment or disrupt service.

Verizon Business' IP Trunking is available in the United States and select European markets.

Verizon Contact Center and VoIP Products and Services

Verizon Contact Center Services (CCS) comprise a wide range of interaction management applications, services and equipment to help organizations improve their customer service and support. These services can be designed for contact centers of all sizes, from single-location centers to operations encompassing thousands of geographically dispersed agents.

Verizon Business offers a comprehensive portfolio of VoIP products to help companies benefit from the productivity improvements, cost control and network management efficiencies associated with combining data and voice over a single network. With Verizon VoIP, companies can achieve a smooth, flexible transition to VoIP at their own path and pace, selecting to mix and match among five product offerings: IP Flexible T1, IP Integrated Access, IP Trunking, Hosted IP Centrex and Managed IP PBX. Verizon VoIP services are based on a robust, flexible platform that provides a high-quality voice experience, national and international footprint, and a rich feature set to help meet individual customer requirements.

About Verizon Business Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com.